The workload of Ohio Department of Agriculture amusement ride inspectors has grown since 2007 without any increase in the number of inspectors, state records show.

Between 2007 and 2015, the number of amusement ride licenses issued by the state following safety inspections increased 30 percent, to 3,762. Figures for last year are not yet available.

The number of licensed portable ride companies — such as Amusements of America at the Ohio State Fair and companies that set up rides at county fairs and festivals throughout the state — increased from 312 in 2007 to 348 in 2015.

“A large part of that increase can be attributed to an increase in inflatables, which we do inspect, in terms of the numbers of rides inspected,” department spokesman Brett Gates said. However, inflatable rides do not necessarily take less time than other rides to inspect, nor does their expanded presence signal a decrease in non-inflatable rides, he said.

Gates declined to comment on the department’s confidence in the inspection process in the face of an uneven rise in rides, compared with its inspectors.

State payroll records listed 10 ride inspectors and one supervisor in 2007, although three of the inspectors appeared to be part-year or part-time employees. Payroll records for last year listed eight ride inspectors, one supervisor and one support staff employee.

Ohio State Fair rides shut down last week following a malfunction on the Fire Ball ride on opening day that killed one person and injured seven others.

Fire Ball ride-manufacturer KMG instructed operators to shut down all versions of the ride until it could investigate the incident. The Netherlands-based company described what happened in a statement: “In the accident, a passenger-carrying gondola detached from the supporting sweep arm.”

In a statement, ride owner Amusements of America, defended its operators and the inspectors who checked the Fire Ball.

“The decision to shut down similar rides around the world and reopen the Ohio midway indicates that this is an issue with a specific ride and not the ride operator or inspectors,” the company said in a statement. “There is no evidence that operator error played a role in the accident.”

Thirty-five midway rides were re-inspected by the Ohio Department of Agriculture on Sunday, according to department documents. Five rides were inspected for the first time and introduced to fairgoers.

The fair was abuzz again by Sunday with fairgoers making their way through 71 rides operating on the midway and Kiddieland family area.

Not all rides operating Monday earned a perfect score though.

Most issues involved seating on rides, with inspectors deeming a number of seats on seven of the rides inspected Sunday as non-operational or out of service. Inspectors found eight non-operational seats on the ride Power Surge, the documents showed. Five seats were out of service on the Scooter ride.

Those seats will remain out of service until the ride company notifies the Department of Agriculture that they are ready for use and the department can re-inspect them, Gates said. Seats with problems are marked and observable, he added.

Power Surge is next to the Fire Ball ride, which remains cordoned off as the investigation continues.

Jenna Stevens, 32, of the East Side, sat across from two non-operational seats on Power Surge. Both seats were marked with yellow tags. But she wasn’t concerned.

She said last week’s accident is weighing on her mind, but she won’t let that stop her from seeking a thrill on the rides.

“It actually makes me think it has been recently inspected,” she said.

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